Hello —

I am strongly opposed to Chairman Ajit Pai’s proposal to roll back internet traffic neutrality protections established by chairman Wheeler.

I run a small, independent online business based in Phoenix, AZ. Rolling back these protections will allow large ISPs and our larger competitors to make it more expensive for us to acquire customers. This will force us to invest our resources on a new expense (paying to be seen by customers) instead of investing in new inventory, employee benefits or other, more beneficial areas.

The national broadband market may appear to be healthy with lots of providers and plenty of competition. At the local level, it is a much different picture. There are only two local providers, Cox & Centurylink. I’ve tried both. The only competition they have is who can offer the poorest service at the highest cost. Even though the speed is advertised at 25Mbps down and 3 Mbps up, I never see anything close to those speeds. Rolling back these protections will make it easier for them to stifle local market competition.

As a consumer, I do not want to pay more for a level of access I already have. If ISPs are allowed to double-dip by collecting revenue from me AND charge sites I visit for the same traffic I’m already paying for, those extra costs will ultimately be passed on to me, the consumer in the form of higher prices or lower service/quality.

The internet, just like the electric grid, the telephone system, radio spectrum, water and sewage systems, and the national highway system before it, is one of the most important tools created in our lifetimes. Each of these critically-important, nation-wide systems has some level of oversight to protect consumers and act in the nation’s best interest. I urge the FCC to continue overseeing broadband access.